General MMA News - Page 15

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A fight 10 years in the making is on the verge of finally happening this summer in England. Ian Freeman and Ken Shamrock, two pioneering figures in mixed martial arts, have agreed to fight for Ultimate Cage Fighting Championships on July 27 in Doncaster.

Last night’s edition of ESPN’s Sportscenter featured a segment titled “Garrett’s Fight,” about a 23-year-old man with Down syndrome named Garrett Holeve who has transformed his life through MMA. After being introduced to the sport by his father, Holeve committed himself to training at American Top Team, which has become a supportive second-family to him. The segment follows “G-Money” as he prepares for his first amateur fight against “Monster” Mike Wilson, who makes good on his promise to show Holeve what a real punch feels like. Through three tough rounds, Garrett doesn’t quit, and comes out the other side an even stronger person

Despite rumors to the contrary, Melvin Guillard will not be returning to train at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts.
The UFC lightweight recently announced via Twitter that he has left the Blackzilians and has rejoined the Albuquerque, N.M.-based team.
“I’m no longer a Blackzilian. I went back to where I belong [at] Jackson’s,” Guillard wrote.
However, a source close to the situation confirmed to Sherdog.com on Monday that the fighter known as “The Young Assassin” will not be granted access to train with the renowned camp, which he once called home for more than a year and a half. Jackson’s MMA currently houses a bevy of 155-pound talent, from “Fight of the Night” staple Donald Cerrone to up-and-coming Russian prospect Rustam Khabilov. Guillard, meanwhile, has lost four of his last five fights.
“Until it presents a problem as far as my coaching goes, then I’ll deal with it when it comes,” Guillard told Sherdog.com in 2011. “I’m my own boss; my coaches work for me, so it’s whatever I choose that I want to do to be successful in this game. I’m going to take those options.”

Once upon a time, nobody knew two-sport dominance like Bo Jackson, who was a star in both the National Football League and Major League Baseball during a storied athletic career.
Chad Owens will probably never achieve the legendary status of Jackson, but the Toronto Argonauts standout is attempting a pretty noteworthy dual feat in his own right. Owens, who set a Canadian Football League record with 3,863 total yards last season, will make his MMA debut on April 6 at Destiny’s “Na Koa III” at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to the promotion’s website, Owens will square off with fellow MMA newcomer Junyah Tevaga.
Owens was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2012 as Toronto captured the Grey Cup; it was his third straight season of 3,000 or more total yards. Despite his outstanding resume, the former University of Hawaii football standout felt the need to test himself in another arena.
"I wanted to get into something new. A new challenge. Something to keep me hungry,” Owens told Hawaii News Now. “I always wanted to get into it sometime and this offseason I thought would be the perfect time."

On Thursday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission held a meeting to discuss certain drug testing protocols including the controversial usage of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
TRT has increasingly been in the spotlight over the last few months with athletes like Vitor Belfort, who at 35 years of age now has to have testosterone injections to boost his levels back to normal, and the commission is paying attention.
UFC president Dana White has also come out recently as staunch opposition to the use of TRT by his fighters and now will be independently testing athletes who are on the treatment throughout their training camps to ensure their testosterone levels remain at legal limits...

Ken Shamrock and Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman could be on collision course.Sources tell Fighters Only that negotiations are underway for a potential in-cage meeting between the two veterans, both of whom enjoy pioneer status in their native lands.

World Series of Fighting 2 headliners and the promotion's CEO say a fighter should determine his or her own destiny. If they want to fight at a weight different than what they're known for, they should be able to do so.

Billionaire business mogul Mark Cuban is no stranger to the world of mixed martial arts. And though his cable channel has undergone some recent changes, he said AXS TV will remain a destination for MMA of all sorts.

Jared Papazian once called his manager every day to see whether he'd been secured a UFC contract. It was so important, it consumed his life.
He's not making any calls now. Released by the industry-leading promotion after going 0-3 inside the octagon, he's back on the regional circuit. Before he picks up the phone again, he wants to have something to offer.
On Friday, Papazian (14-9) headlines BAMMA USA's "Badbeat 8" opposite Terrion Ware (3-1) at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif., and he hopes to rebuild his career with an impressive win.

Ulysses Gomez's release from the UFC this past month may have come as a little bit of a surprise, but he won't waste much time getting back on the horse looking to fight his way back to the promotion after signing with a California-based promotion.